Pre-med students take on Geisinger's Jan Plan

Maria Figueroa and Casey Donahoe

Geisinger Medical Center’s Jan Plan brought students to the hospital's Danville campus from January 3 -10, 2020 for an intensive  experience that provides a first hand look at the medical profession. Jan Plan students had the opportunity to interact with medical students, residents, and physicians during rounds, case study discussions, and observations.  Participating in Jan Plan this year were Casey Donahoe, Biology major in the pre-medicine option and Maria Figueroa, enrolled in the Pre-medical Sciences Certificate program.  Casey and Maria shared their Jan Plan experiences:

Maria: I loved my Jan Plan experience. We shadowed doctors in different specialties, such as vascular surgery, emergency medicine, and internal medicine.It was very exciting standing next to the surgical team, watching as they inserted catheters or removed varicose veins. One of my favorite aspects of the Jan Plan program was simply meeting and talking with attending physicians, residents, and medical students-- it really gave me a chance to ask them questions, one on one, and learn a little more about their own individual experience in medicine. The Jan Plan experience reaffirmed my decision to pursue a career in medicine. I highly recommend the program to others students interested in the medical field. 


 Casey: During my week walking the halls of Geisinger Medical Center I not only saw what day-to-day medicine looked like, but what it felt like. By Monday afternoon, it was already apparent that the pace and "feel" of each department differs. The teamwork and communication present between all staff members in Obstetrics and Gynecology was inspiring. Members of the fast paced Emergency Department seemed ironically unperturbed. Jan Plan provided me with an opportunity to observe a surgery. I had no clue what Urologic Surgery entailed until I was actually watching a malignant bladder tumor resection. Needless to say, I highly recommend participating in Jan Plan.


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